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Ohio John Doe - The Mysterious Imposter

John Doe/Joseph Newton Chandler III

John Doe, and a sketch using age progression techniques.

Approximately 70 years old
5'7" and 160 lbs.
Brown hair and gray eyes.
Dental records are available.
Corrective lenses/eyeglasses

This John Doe, now dead of suicide, assumed the identity of Joseph Newton Chandler III, a young boy that was killed in an auto accident near Sherman, TX. John Doe most likely copied the information from the boy's tombstone in the City Greenwood Cemetery in Weatherford, Texas. The boy was buried there, along with his parents. John Doe, at the claimed age of 41, wrote off for a Social Security Number in September of 1978* from 2326-1/2 Canyon Lake Drive in Rapid City, SD. Doe used the boy's birthday of March 11, 1937.

Doe moved to the Cleveland, Ohio area in 1979 and finally settled in Eastlake, Ohio in 1986. A probate attorney, hired to look for Chandler's family, contacted local private investigator Michael Lewis, of Confidential Investigative Services, who discovered Chandler was really an imposter.

John Does's parents, as taken from the boy's tombstone, were said to be Ellen Christina Kaaber Chandler and Joseph Newton Chandler Jr. Chandler's new birthday was March 11,1937, the date on the child's tombstone which said he was born in Buffalo, NY.

"This guy knew what he was doing," said attorney Jim O'Leary counsel for the executor of "Chandler's" estate. "You've got to wonder, what terrible thing exactly would you be running from to go to this kind of trouble to conceal your past." (Source AP)

Detective Lt. Tom Doyle stated, "We know that he was an unusual man, a quiet guy who had some strange ways," "But we don't know what or who he was hiding from or who he really was." "We thought at first maybe he was in the witness protection program, but that has been ruled out." Doyle also believed strongly that the man known Joseph Newton Chandler III was from Texas.(Source AP)

John Doe worked as an electrical engineer at different companies, including Lubrizol Corporation, before shooting himself in the head with a Charter Arms .38 caliber handgun. Doe purchased the weapon at a Western Auto store in Seagoville, TX in 1967 according to the Beacon Journal. (Other news reports state that the gun was purchased sometime between 1968 and 1978).

He left behind a little over $82,000 in a money market account which was eventually turned over to the state of Ohio and/or Lake county's unclaimed-funds account. He also left a home computer, which was confiscated as evidence only to be damaged before it could be explored (Src: Cleveland Free Times). Doe also had a 1988 GMC truck that was paid for with cash. He left no will, and all known relatives belonged to the Chandler boy, not John Doe.

His official date of death was listed as July 24, 2002. His body was not discovered until July 30, so the date of death is most likely an educated guess.

An autopsy revealed that Doe was suffering from a terminal case of colon cancer. he had recently underwent rectal surgery, which he paid for with cash (Src: Cleveland Free Times.) The unidentified man was cremated soon after the autopsy. Incredibly, police were unable to find anything in the way of usable fingerprints in the house or on the weapon he used to kill himself.

Evidence shows that he was once in California, was either in the U.S. Navy or worked around the Navy, and had worked as electrical engineer. One news story states that police said he was a retired electrical engineer.

Rapid City Police Detective Tom Senesac has visited the address, 2326-1/2 Canyon Lake Drive, where the initial Social Security card was sent. Because the property owner is now deceased, Senesac visited with the property owner's son. Senesac followed up on all available South Dakota leads.(Source AP and Rapid City Journal

Several of Doe's co-workers recall his tale of a a trip to an L.L. Bean store in the State of Maine only to return without going into the store. "They said he got there but couldn't find a parking space - so he turned around and drove another 12 hours back home," "He told his co-workers, 'If they don't have a parking space for me, they don't have my business.' " related Detective Lt. Tom Doyle. A former co-worker and Doe's closest aquaintance, Mike Onderisin of Painesville, OH, related that Doe said that he grew up in East Liverpool (about a two hour's drive), had been married once or twice, and had a sister in Columbus, Ohio. (Source AP)

State of Ohio Unclaimed Property
This property is held by the State of Ohio.
State Property Id: 4995220
Name: CHANDLER, JOSEPH N
Last Known Address: 34844D LAKESHORE BLVD EASTLAKE, OH, 44095
Property Type: PREMIUM REFUNDS
Reported By: STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOBILE I
Amount: Under $100
(src: MissingMoney.com)

*For some reason our own check of the Chandler SSN indicated the card was issued approximately 1973.

Social Security Number: 504-80-3358
Date of this report: January 04, 2006
State of Issuance: South Dakota
Approx. Date of Issuance: 1973
Issuance Status: According to the Social Security Administration,
this SSN has been issued.
SSA Death Masterfile: JOSEPH CHANDLER 7/2002

Social Security Death Record:
JOSEPH N CHANDLER
11 Mar 1937
24 Jul 2002
44095 Eastlake, Lake County, OH
504-80-3358
South Dakota

This map shows the location of the cemetery where John Doe discovered the boy's tombstone. Zoom in on the map. The green arrow is located at the upper left hand corner of the cemetery. Note: You cannot see the actual tombstone.

View Map

Here is a case summary from the Court of Common Pleas, Cuyahoga County, OH. As of this writing, it is unkown if the plaintiff in the following case is the same Joseph Chandler that is the subject of this page.

Chandler/Doe at DoeNetwork

Stephen Craig Campbell

John Doe and Stephen Craig Campbell

Watch the transformation.

Could it be that Stephen Craig Campbell, an ATF fugitive, and the Ohio imposter that assumed the identity of Joseph Newton Chandler III, are one and the same.

If you look at the photographs above, you will see a remarkable resemblance. The first photo is that of John Doe, taken at an older age. The second photo is that of Stephen Craig Campbell, taken at about 35 years of age.

Watch the transformation.

Stephen Craig Campbell was born in Stockton, California on July 28, 1948. He often used aliases, among them "Stephen Murphy" and "Fred Campbell".

Campbell is wanted by the ATF for attempted first degree murder and possession and manufacture of a destructive device. Information about Campbell indicates that he has been spotted in the Virgin Islands. He is possibly using an alias could be in the area of Houston and/or New Orleans. A Federal Warrant was issued on April 25, 1983, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, charging him with manufacture and possession of a bomb.

U.S. Marshall's Wanted Poster

ATF's Most Wanted page on Campbell

So what?

So what leads us to believe that these two characters share the same body? You will find our reasons below:

Stephen Campbell used different identities. John Doe assumed another person's identity
John Doe obviously had something to hide. Campbell is wanted by the ATF.
Evidence shows that John Doe was once in California. Campbell was born in California.
It is our belief that, to make it easier to hide from authorities, Campbell created another life with which he could move into easily.
John Doe worked as an electrical engineer. Stephen Campbell worked as an electrical engineer.
Using his stolen identity's birthday would put Doe around 65 years old in the year of his death, 2002. In 2002, Stephen Campbell, using his actual birthday, would turn 54. Browse through pictures of 54 year old criminals, many look much older than Doe does in the photo above.
In 2002, John Doe's body was discovered on July 30, just a few days after Campbell's own birthday.

For whatever it is worth, we add the following:

John Doe was possibly married to a Cuban woman. The Virgin Islands, where Campbell was reported sighted, are in close proximity to Cuba.
Only 308 miles lie between Cheyenne, WY and Rapid City, SD.

Still not convinced? Look at the photos again.

Yes, the younger man's face is slightly thinner. As humans age, cartilage continues to grow. The areas of the face that are wider in the older man (the chin) are cartilage lined areas.

Of course, I could be entirely mistaken.

Video Transformation

See one man as he becomes the other.

Reload (Refresh) this page to see the transformation from the beginning.

Or view the movie by itself, here.

Update: Detailed Information

On March 26, 2008, James Renner of the Ohio Free Times published a very informative article on Joseph Newton Chandler. James Renner has performed a lot of research concerning Chandler/Doe, much of which has been presented on this page. Renner has been very resourceful in gathering information about Chandler, and knows much more about this man than others that have examined the case, including myself.

The article also discusses Stephen Craig Campbell and gives a lot more information about this fugitive bomber. I encourage you to read the article.

Who Was Joe Chandler, by James Renner, The Ohio Free Times

Highly Unlikely? Impossible?

This website was created with the idea of encouraging open discussion about its content. Viewers are more than welcome to comment on the blog or message board or any other method employed by CrimeShadows.com for open communication. That means you are free to express your opinions on the flaws and discrepancies that my theory may contain. All I ask is that you try to be original and that you employ some facts. That certain conditions in this theory may be unlikely has long been established. That does not mean that the conditions are impossible. Chance and probability have contributed to the evasiveness of many criminals. However, they have not performed the impossible, only the unlikely. I encourage critics to prove, with supporting facts, that these two people cannot be the same. Yes, you're still free to say "fat chance" or "no way." That is fine. It doesn't prove anything, but it shows your status with the skeptics. I want to know more about these two guys. If you have the information to prove that they are not the same person, by all means, share it.

Also, for those that think I'm some kind of fanatic fool stuck on this lone theory, let me assure you that I have looked and continue to look in all directions. I just haven't seen anything that definitively rules out Stephen Craig Campbell and Joseph Newton Chandler being the same man. I may be a fool, but I am not stuck on this theory alone.

Identity Crisis

There are various other theories about who this man is.

The Zodiac Killer

The San Francisco murderer that has never been captured.

Steve Huff's Blog Post and a follow-up post.

For more information on the Zodiac Killer, Tom Voigt's site is a must. Be sure to visit ZodiacKiller.com for the latest Zodiac killer information

Also see this thread on the ZodiacKiller.com Message Board regarding Joseph Newton Chandler and the Zodiac Killer.

Please visit ZodiackillerTRUTH.com, CrimeShadows new website on the Zodiac Killer. Note:Under Heavy Construction!

D.B. Cooper

About Dan Cooper

A guy risks his life jumping out of a plane into freezing rain so that he can be rich. Then he decides to go back to the salt mine and live frugally. Make sense?

Gene Isaac Stees

Born Jan 20, 1932, Stees bears a strong resemblance to John Doe. He murdered his wife and her unborn child with a crowbar before stuffing their remains into a barrel and tossing them into a lake.

He escaped from an Ohio penitentiary on February 21, 1970. He is still at large.

Note: Is Doe wearing a rug or did he go to the Bosley clinic? Stees appears quite bald.

Jim Morrison

When you�re strange, no one remembers your name.

Whatever.

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